The Best Of Denzel Washington

ROBERT McCall is back to right some more wrongs with violent precision as Denzel Washington stars in his first-ever sequel The Equaliser 2.

To mark this release, Close-up Culture have picked our top ten favourite films from one of Hollywood’s most respected figures.

10) Fences (2016)

FENCES saw Denzel direct and star in a film adaptation of August Wilson’s 1985 play. Although the story did not translate perfectly on the big-screen, Denzel and Viola Davis turned in heavyweight dramatic performances to elevate the film.

9) Cry Freedom (1988)

THE film that won Denzel his first Oscar nomination, Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom is a unflinching look at the injustices of apartheid South Africa.

8) Training Day (2001)

DENZEL beat out Will Smith’s performance as Muhammad Ali to claim best actor at the Oscars for his menacing role in police thriller Training Day.

7) Philadelphia (1993)

TOM Hanks and Denzel deliver expert performances in an important film about HIV/AIDS and homophobia.

6) Flight (2012)

FOR the heart-pulsing, turbulent opening sequences alone, Denzel’s portrayal of pilot Whip Whitaker in Flight is well worth catching.

5) Inside Man (2006)

DENZEL leads a stellar cast in Spike Lee’s high-tempo crime thriller set over a 24-hour period.

4) The Hurricane (1999)

BOB Dylan sang about him and Denzel played him, Christopher Young’s 1999 film tells the enraging story of Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter. A high-ranking boxer who spent almost twenty years in jail for a crime he did not commit.

3) American Gangster (2007)

DENZEL and Russell Crowe bring the best out of each other in this cat-and-mouse story of drug dealer and honest cop.

2) Glory (1989)

A STANDOUT performance in Denzel’s early on-screen career. He plays escaped slave Trip in Edward Zwick’s Civil War film.

1) Malcolm X (1992)

ANOTHER towering biopic performance from Denzel as he portrays one of the most fascinating and polarising figures of the 20th century.